The New Zealand Truth was a tabloid newspaper published weekly in New Zealand. It started as the Auckland Truth in 1887. Described as “scandal mongering” and “scurrilous”, it has employed well-known New Zealand authors, including Robin Hyde in 1928. Redma Yska, once a Truth reporter, has recounted how the paper “introduced a `new journalism’ in 1905, which aimed a core diet of sex, crime, radical politics and random muckraking directly at the masses.” He ends by noting that at the end of 2009, “after 104 remarkable years in New Zealand journalism, Truth quietly sank into liquidation. Truth Weekender, complete with 16-page sex industry pullout, quickly took its place. The wicked old title refuses to die.” [see ref. 1]

As SPCS has pointed out in a series of published articles on its blog, since at least 2007, Truth directors’ seeming obsession with porn sleaze and prostitution advertising ( e.g. a regular 16- page “adult services” pullout in The Truth Weekender ) as a means of earning a quick buck, played an important part in its collapse – leading to the liquidation of two companies and numerous creditors left out of pocket.

The announcement in mid-June 2013 of the closing of the paper was followed by its publisher – Truth Weekender Ltd [“TWL”] being put into liquidation on 2 July 2013 by special resolution of the shareholders (at the time the tabloid was called the Truth Weekender). The First Report by the Liquidators listed the company at that time as having 56 creditors. The IRD was estimated to be owed about $30,000, trade creditors $110,630 and related party debt $301,280. The company remains in liquidationwith little prospect of any of the unsecured creditors receiving anything.

The Truth Weekender had in fact emerged from the earlier tabloid known as NZ Truth, whose publisher – Truth Publications Ltd (“TPL” incorporated on 17 January 2007), was put into liquidation on 21 October 2009, reportedly owing lenders and creditors over $620,000. [Read more…]

On 5 June 2011 the NZ Herald reported that banned company director Steve Crow – convicted and sentenced in the Auckland District Court on 24 May 2011 for breaching his four year banning order – is now promoting a new web-based business: an escort agency (prostitution) – NZXescorts (Crow was sentenced and fined $5,000 plus court costs. He changed his plea to “guilty” after initially pleading “not guilty”).

However, the NZ Herald report did not note the fact that the NZXescorts website domain name, first registered on 21 March 2011, was listed by Crow’s close business associate and company director Dermott Malley, as being owned by a defunct company – Truth Publications Ltd – a company which was struck off the Register of companies one month earlier – on 25 February 2011. It was actually put into liquidation on 21 October 2009 and the auditor’s report showed it owed over $600,000 to creditors. The registrant’s email was incorrectly recorded as dermott@truth.co.nz – (A defunct email – no longer valid – which Crow’s associate Dermott Malley used while he was a director of the now failed company).

The Domain Name Commission (DNC) was alerted to these errors by an alert NZ Herald reader who copied his correspondence to to the Registrar of Companies, whose decision last year had led to Mr Crow being banned as a director for four years – effective from 16 April 2010 .

Following notification of the errors, the DNC contacted Mr Dermott Malley and subsequently the registrant’s identity for NZXescorts was changed on 16 June 2011 to “Truth Weekender Limited”. In addition the registrant’s contact email was upgraded/corrected to dermott@truthweekender.co.nz (Dermott Malley, along with John Andrew Pin, is currently one of the two directors of Truth Weekender Limited.).

The association between “Porn King” Steve Crow and Truth Weekender Ltd, which owns the domain name of the NZXescorts business, is abundantly clear.

The NZ Herald article points out that Mr Crow intends to use his forthcoming “Boobs on Bikes” Auckland event to promote the new on-line escort business. [This will assist Mr Malley and his co-director John Andrew Pin, to promote their NZXescorts agency that is supported through The Truth Weekender].

The NZXescorts website states that the business is “part owned by Truth Weekend Limited, Skin Magazine, NZX Magazine, Erotica Lifestyles Expo and Vixen Direct”. The latter three hardcore porn businesses are closely asociated with banned company director Mr Steve Crow while the first two Adult ‘entertainment’ businesses are closely linked to Mr Dermott Malley.

The NZXescorts website states: “… the opportunity [for prostitutes] to advertise not just here but also in New Zealand’s only dedicated weekly adult entertainment guide Truth Weekender/Skin Magazine”.

The close business associations between banned director Steve Crow and Dermott Malley in the porn industry/escort agency industry is very transparent on the public record.

The sex industry “skinescorts” agency website is owned by Multimedia Solutions Limited – a company directed by Dermott Malley, Matthew Horton and John Andrew Pin (All three were directors of the now defunct company Truth Publications Limited). Skin Magazine is part of Truth Weekender.

One week after pleading guilty to directing a company while banned, porn magnate Steve Crow has announced a new business venture. [Crow is listed as a “disqualified director” on the Companies Office website www.companies.govt.nz – banned for four years under s. 385 of the Companies Act 1993 from promoting, directing or managing any company].

[The domain name of the website registered on 21 March 2011, is owned by Truth Publications Ltd, a company struck off the Registrar of Companies on 25 February 2011. The Registrant contact for the website is listed as former Truth Publications CEO Demott Malley Tel. dermott@truth.co.nz. See www.dnc.org.nz.]

He [Crow] plans to promote it [the website owned by a defunct company – Truth Publication Ltd] with a second Boobs on Bikes down Queen St on September 24 – the day the All Blacks take on France in the Rugby World Cup at Eden Park.

Crow said escorts listed on the website would be bodypainted with rugby jerseys in New Zealand and French sporting colours.

The next Boobs on Bikes is scheduled for August 4.

Crow said he may not seek a permit from Auckland Council for the second parade.

He maintained his involvement as a “marketing consultant” in the new venture did not contravene his director ban. “I’m not running it. David Crow my brother is. He’s the CEO.”

On 3 November 2009 the NZ Herald reported that the publisher of the tabloid newspaper NZ Truth, Truth Publications Ltd, had gone into liquidation owing “unsecured creditors and subordinated lenders $622,074”. A decision had been made to “sell its assets to the company’s masthead owner, Multimedia Solutions, for $70,000.” Truth publications Ltd (In Liq), directed by Dermott Malley, John Andrew Pin and Matthew William Horton, ceased trading on 31 August 2009 and was placed into liquidation on 21 October 2009. The NZ Herald notes: “A related party of Truth Publications called in liquidators Meltzer Mason Heath in September to find out how much the company would be worth.” (See companies diagram here.)[Read more…]

A liquidator’s report on Truth Publications Ltd (In Liq) dated 21 June 2010 has just today (5 July) been registered on the Companies Office website. It shows the balance for receipts and payments for the period ended 20 April 2010. A six-monthly report from the Liquidator was actually due out by 21 May 2010 informing creditors and shareholders on the conduct of the liquidation during the preceding six months. The report registered today only gives details on a meagre $5,850.79 of receipts comprising Pre Liquidation PAYE Refunds and GST Income. All of this money has been absorbed funding the Liquidator’s Remuneration and Disbursements, covering advertising costs, bank fees and GST Expenses. Whatever funds, however miniscule, are still held by the Liquidator, are subject to further costs of winding up. However, an estimated $622,000 is still owed to “unsecured creditors and subordinated lenders” as revealed in the first liquidation report. [Read more…]